* + HESPERIA 72 (2003) T H E D U R R E S R E G I O NA L Pages4I-II9 A RC H A E O LO G I CA L P ROJ E CT ARCHAEOLOGICALSURVEY IN THETERRITORY OF EPIDAMNUS/ DYRRACHIUMIN ALBANIA ABSTRACT In the springof 2001the hillyuplands immediately northwest ofthe modern cityof Durreswere for the firsttime investigated using the techniquesof in- tensivesurface survey. In total,an areaof six squarekilometers was explored and twenty-ninesites weredefined, most of them new.Remains of Greek antiquitywereplentiful and include unpublished inscriptions and graves. One sitemaybe the location of a previouslyunknown Archaic temple. Included in thisarticle are descriptions ofthe areasinvestigated, alist of sites,and a cata- logue of the most diagnosticartifacts recovered. Patterns of settlementand landuse arediscussed and comparedto those recordedby othersurveys in Albania. ModernDurres in centralAlbania is todaythe largestseaport in the coun- try and is linked by a superhighwayto the capital,Tirana, 35 km to the east (Figs. 1-2).1 Durres is the location of Epidamnus/Dyrrachium,a Greekcolony that was foundedin the later 7th centuryB.C. by Corcyra with supportfrom Corinth and other Dorian cities.2The ancientpolis centerhas long been the objectof archaeologicalresearch, and is partic- ularlywell known to ancienthistorians both as the site of a revolution that constitutedone of the proximatecauses for the outbreakof the Pelo- ponnesianWar (Thuc. 1.24-29) and as the site of a majorbattle between . 1 1. Davis,Hoti, Pojani,Stocker, and especiallyto MariaGrazia Amore and ourmlsslon ln everypOSSl Dleway. Wolpertare jointly responsible for the LorencBejko for their assistance in 2. Thuc.1.24. On the dateof the overallauthorship of thispaper. Ache- planningfieldwork. We alsothank the colony,see Eusebius(Schoene 1866, son contributeda reporton the results Universityof Cincinnatifor its support p. 89, line 1392).Jerome's continuation of surveybyTeam B. Appendix2 and of ourresearch. We thankOls Lafe of Eusebiusplaces the foundationin mostof the catalogueddescriptions of andMaria Grazia Amore for help in 627 B.C., slightlyearlier than the textof artifactsare the workof Hayes.Unless proofreadingthis report and Lida Eusebiusitself (Helm 1956, p. 97b).In otherwisenoted, all photographsare Mirajfor her hospitality in Durreson the remainderof this article,Epidam- fromthe projectarchives. manyoccasions. Fieldwork was con- nus/Dyrrachiumis referred to more We aregrateful to RichardHodges ductedwith permission from the simplyby the nameof the moderncity, (Universityof EastAnglia), Henry Instituteof Archaeologyin Tirana; Durres. Hurst(Cambridge University), and MuzaferKorkuti, its director,facilitated American School of Classical Studies at Athens is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to Hesperia ® www.jstor.org 42 JACK L. DAVIS ET AL. t: ;: f:' : 0 L9h \ T: s ) i E Apoll Figure1. Map of Albaniashowing principalcenters of Greekculture. R. J. Robertson JuliusCaesar and Pompey (Caes. B Civ. 3.35-61)at Petrain 48 B.C.3 A steepridge forms a backdropfor the modernport. The top of the south- ernmosthill is todayoccupied by the palaceof the formermonarch of Albania,Ahmed Zogu (Fig. 3). It is clearthat much of thepresent city has 3. Heuzey1886, pp. 35-88. An- beenbuilt over ancient remains. cientsources for the historyof Durres arereproduced, translated, and dis- A historyof modernresearch in Durresmight properly begin in 1861 cussedin Cabanesand Drini 1995, withthe explorationsof LeonHeuzey, one componentin a FrenchMis- pp. 19-33, andare listed in Myrto sionto Macedonia,and with the description of the LateRoman circuit of 1998,pp. 76-86. .. DURRES REGIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT 43 Figure2. City and port of the mod- ern city of Durres.From Tower F, lookingsoutheast. Figure3. Palaceof Ahmed Zogu. Lookingnorth-northwest from the new ArchaeologicalMuseum of Durres. fortificationspublished by Heuzeyand Daumet in 1876 (Fig.4).4 The nextsystematic attempt to inventorythe antiquities of theancient city was thatof the AustriansCamillo Praschniker and Arnold Schober.s Soon after,a Frenchexpedition in 1925conducted soundings in variousloca- 4. Heuzey1886, chap. 2, pp.43-55; fortificationshave been identified logicalresearch in Durres(complete Heuzeyand Daumet 1876, pp. 349- (Gutteridge,Hoti, andHurst 2001, through1993), see the annotatedbib- 392. It remainsodd that as yet no pp.395, 406, n. 23). Forthe most liographyof Myrto(1998, pp. 76-103). tracesof Hellenisticor earlierRoman comprehensivediscussion of archaeo- 5. Praschnikerand Schober 1919. 44 JACK L. DAVIS ET AL. Figure4. Detail frommap of the Durresarea. After Heuzey l886, plan4 . -fuk Figure5. Architecturalterracotta foundin the moderncemetery of Durres.Courtesy Institute of Archaeology, Tirana tionsand determined that, in thecentral zone of themodern city, levels of 6. Rey1925. Greekdate lie some5 m beneaththe currentstreet.6 7. See Hammond1967, pp. 425- SinceWorld War II, remainsof a Romanbath, a macellum,and an 426, 469-470,for the foundationof amphitheaterhave been excavated, and the course of anaqueduct of Trajanic the originalcolony, the uncertaintyof datehas been documented. Evidence for the Greekcity is moreexiguous its location,and what little is known andvirtually nothing is knownabout the sizeand precise location of the of its earlyhistory. originalcolony.7 Pre-Roman remains include only a Hellenistichouse; an 8. See,with earlierreferences, Miraj 1994(bath); Hoti 1989b,1996 (macel- altarof the 4th centuryB.C. discoverednortheast of the portin drained lum);To,ci 1971 and Miraj 1990 (am- marshland;and architectural terracottas of WesternGreek Archaic style phitheater);Miraj and Myrto 1982 foundin thearea of themodern cemetery of thecity (Fig. 5).8 Large num- (aqueduct);Tartari1988 (Hellenistic DURRES REGIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT 45 Figure6. Generalmap of theDurres area.R. J. Robertson house);Myrto 1989 (altar); and Zeqo bersof gravesand grave markers of Archaicthrough Early Roman date 1989(architectural terracottas). havebeen located in the valleysnorth and northwest of the cityon the 9. Villais the hill of the palaceof AhmedZogu. slopesof the hillsof Dautaj,Kokoman, and Villa (Fig. 6).9 Other graves 10.To jci 1976; Hidri 1983, 1997; havebeen found closer to themarsh in thearea between Spitalla and Porto Tartari1987; Myrto 1998, p. 99. Romano.l° 46 JACK L. DAVIS ET AL. Figure7. Viewof thecity of Durres fromtract A077. Petra at far right in TH E ARC HAE O L O G I CAL SU RVEY thedistance. Looking southeast. To the northwestof theport of Durres,between the city and the modern villageof PortoRomano, are uplands, ca. 10 km2 in extent.These formed theimmediate hinterland ofthe ancient polis and include the ancient cem- eterieson the hillsof Dautaj,Kokoman, and Villa (Fig. 7). Untilrecently the areawas sparsely settled and, although frequently the targetof visits, extensiveinvestigation, and excavation by personnelbased at the Durres museum,it hadnever been systematically explored. In 1999it wasclear, however,that antiquitiesin theseuplands were being destroyed at an acceleratedrate as the resultof illegalsettlement of immigrantsfrom northernAlbania. The ideaof organizingan intensive archaeological sur- veyhere first began to be discussedamong members of theInternational Centerof AlbanianArchaeology in Tiranain the fall of thatyear, and preliminaryreconnaissance was carried out in a smallarea near the mod- erncemetery of the city.llSeveral concentrations of pottery and tile were foundthere by LorencBejko and Maria Grazia Amore of the Albanian RescueArchaeology Unit, as well as a much-disturbedburial containing the neckof a red-figuredamphora and two smallblack-glaze oinochoai (Fig.8).12 Fromthis auspicious beginning arose the DurresRegional Archaeo- logicalProject (DRAP), a rescuemission intended to serveas a preludeto 11. Bejkoand Amore 2000, pp. 45- below,A048-02 from S007). Added The scenesare framed above and below 46. miltosseems to havebeen employed to by a bandof egg motifs.On the shoul- 12. RobertF. Suttonhas examined imitatethe colorof Atticred-figure dera bandof tonguemotifs is pre- photographsof thesefinds and com- pottery,and a thin,dull black glaze was served.The amphoraappears to date mentsthat the fabricof the amphora usedfor the partlyfugitive background. to the lastthird of the 5th centuryB.C. appearsto be Corinthian(or a related Erosis illustratedon bothsides of the The dateof the oinochoaifound by fabric),like that of a smallchous-type neck:on one sidehe is shootinga bow, Bejkoand Amore is consistentwith oinochoefound during our survey (see andon the otherhe is seatedon a chair. thatof the amphora. DURRES REGIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT 47 Figure8. Findsfrom the vicinity of thecemetery of Durres:red-figured amphoraneck (two views); small oinochoe.Courtesy L. Bejko,M. G. Amore,and International Center of AlbanianArchaeology in Tirana a long-termprogram of researchin the Durresarea. The projectis spon- soredby the International Center of AlbanianArchaeology in Tirana,an instituteestablished in 1999and funded by the Packard Humanities Insti- tute(PHI).13 In August2000, Davis, Stocker, and Pojani, together with AdamGutteridge of CambridgeUniversity, visited the areato be exam- ined.Fieldwork was conducted between March 10 andApril 5, 2001.14 A totalarea of ca. 600 ha wasinvestigated by two teams,generally con- sistingof fivefieldwalkers and a teamleader, in thirteenand a halfdays of fieldwork.l5 13. PHI is particularlycon- AfrimHoti (codirector,Institute of cinnati),and Aaron